Click ahead to see how you can protect you home, inside and out, against rodent invasion.

Since rodents can enter through openings that are less than ¼ inch in
diameter, it's important to rodent-proof your home and clean up debris in attics, basements, closets, lockers and other areas inside your home.

And speaking of containers, rodents love pet food so it's best to store dry pet food, seeds and other similar objects in rodent-proof holders. Also, you should avoid leaving pet food exposed overnight.

And speaking of containers, rodents love pet food so it's best to store dry pet food, seeds and other similar objects in rodent-proof holders. Also, you should avoid leaving pet food exposed overnight.

Photo: AlexTurton/Getty Images

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Shrubs and grass should be trimmed and away from buildings to create 12-18 inch spaces of open ground.

Shrubs and grass should be trimmed and away from buildings to create 12-18 inch spaces of open ground.

Photo: Lucy Lambriex/Getty Images

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Check for gaps around exterior doors and seal them with weather stripping or door sweeps to prevent rodent entry.

Check for gaps around exterior doors and seal them with weather stripping or door sweeps to prevent rodent entry.

Photo: Corbis/VCG/Getty Images/Passage Unreleased

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Air vents, louvers, vent pipes and shafts, tile roofs, and gaps around the chimney should all be checked and repaired if damaged.

Air vents, louvers, vent pipes and shafts, tile roofs, and gaps around the chimney should all be checked and repaired if damaged.

Photo: AFP, AFP/Getty Images

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Pick up all ripe fruits and
vegetables that's within rodent reach.

Pick up all ripe fruits and
vegetables that's within rodent reach.

Photo: @kosje/Getty Images/RooM RF

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Rodents dislike loose gravel so installing a pea gravel barrier between landscaping and buildings is a great option.

Rodents dislike loose gravel so installing a pea gravel barrier between landscaping and buildings is a great option.

Orkin ranked the top 50 cities with the worst rat issues based on the number of rodent treatments the company performed at each city from Sept. 2016 to Sept. 2017. The ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments.

Chicago out beat New York as the most rat-infested city in the county — a title it’s carried for three years, according to Orkin.

A North Bay woman blames the dumpsters shared by two restaurants for some destructive visitors who won't go away.

Media: Brandpoint

In August, Mother Jones wrote that the US is infested with rats and, that in cities like Chicago, increased rodent complaints have prompted city officials to sprinkle rat birth control on the streets.

San Francisco has had its own share of rat complaints and has seen a spike in rat sightings in the last five years. In 2017 alone, 848 calls were made to 311, San Francisco's official site for information and complaints.